Method and apparatus for treating hydrocarbons



May 13, 1941. s. c. cARNEY METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBONS Filed Jan. 12, 19:58

...DO m w ombZm m m- Om /wN M Patented May 13, 1941 METHOD APPARATUS FOR. TREATING HYDROCABBONS Samuel C. Carney, Bartlesville, Okla., assignor to Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation of Delaware Applicationlanuary 12, 1938, Serial No. 184,678

3 Claims. (Cl. 183-1l4.5)

This invention relates to an apparatus and method of controlled evolution of volatile components from an ebullient liquid.

In many processes'it becomes necessary to separate a dissolved gas from a liquid. One

example of such a problem is in the recovery of desirable components from ya hydrocarbon gas in which process due to the phenomena of preferential absorption of one component over another the gas is contacted with an absorption liquid in an absorption zone and later the pressure on the absorption liquid is lowered or its temperature raised to evolve the dissolved gas. This last step is called venting, flashing, or distillation. Batch distillation or venting, wherein the liquid is charged into a receptacle, and the temperature or pressure or both gradually changed to evolve the desirable components, is best in principle. In present day processing, however, greater output per labor cost and capital investment has made continuous processing mandatory. In continuous processing the liquid :hows continually through the vent tank or still, the pressure or temperature being maintained constant. In the case of continuously processing by venting if the liquid flows through successive zones of increasingly lower pressure the process is called stage venting or flashing. Batch or intermittent processing has been generally abandoned although best in principle because it involved a cycle of (l) charging, (2) operation, and (3) shutdown which was wasteful of labor and equipment. On the other hand continuous processing Athough somewhat faulty in principle has not the wasteful characteristics of the batch system.

The present invention while retaining the batch principle operates continuously, to attain the maximum theoretical advantage. As applied to venting, a plurality of vent tanks are used simultaneously some being charged with liquid while others are discharging and still others venting only. The control of pressure in those tanks kventing is such as to produce maximum vaporization. y

An important object of the invention is to provide a process for obtaining controlled vaporization of volatile components from a liquid.

A further important objectof the invention is the provision of a process of vaporization which combines the batch principle and the continuous process principle. A still further important object of the invention is the provision of a vaporization process in which the pressures and -temperatures to which the liquid is exposed are proportional to the amount of vaporization.

Referring to the accompanying drawing formlng apart of this specification, a system is diagrammatically shown which embodies the present invention.

Reference numerals I, 2, and 3 designate vessels or tanks of equal capacity each having inlet pipes 4, 5, 6, respectivelyy and discharge pipes 1, 8, 9, respectively. Inlet pipes 4, 5, 6, are connected to a common feeder pipe I0 which carries rich oil and withdrawal or discharge pipes 1, 8, 9, are connected to a common discharge pipe II carrying lean oil. At the top of each tank I, 2, 3, are vent pipes I2, I3, I4, respectively, which are connected to common vent gas line or manifold I5. Interposed in inlet pipes 4, 5, 6, are valves I 6, I1, I8, respectively, in discharge pipes 1, 8, 9, valves I9, 2l), 2|, respectively, and in vent pipes I2, I3, I4, valves 22, 23, 24 respectively. All the valves so far mentioned can be of the full open or full closed type. Valve 25 in vapor discharge line I5 is of the throttling type and operable by diaphragm or other desirable motor 26. In the embodiment illustrated motor 26 is of the diaphragm type and operated in accordance with the pressure differential across oriilce 21 through two differential control lines 30 and 3|. A back pressure regulator valve is shown generally at 32 designed to hold a uniform downstream static pressure on orifice 21....

In operating with the structure described, rich oil or any other liquid to be vented is present at all times in feeder pipe I0. Assuming the system has been operating, one of the tanks I, 2, 3, will be filling, another venting andthe third emptying. It is to be understood thatv more than three tanks could be used to carry out the invention but for the sake of simplicity in this disclosure only three, the least possible number, are shown. The sequence of action can be as follows: tank I is filling, tank 2 emptying, and tank 3 venting, these functions, of course, being controlled by the valve shown. Thus valves I9 and 22 are closed, valve I6 open, valve 2U open, valves I1 and 23 closed, valves 2I and I8 closed, and valve l24 open. Control valve 25 operates regardless of whether or not valves 22, 23, 24 are open or closed but in accordance with the pressure drop across orifice 21. The motor of valve 25 in the case of venting is designed to increase the throttling action with increase of pressure drop across orifice 21. It is thus apparent that when the tank to be vented is rst connected to manifold I5 by opening one of the valves 22, 23 or 24, there will be a sudden drop of pressure on the liquid, limited by back pressure regulator 32.

Methane will be evolved in large quantities but in owing through orifice 21 a high pressure drop will be present which these control lines 30 and 3| will apply to throttling valve 25 bringing into effect the throttling action of this valve.

As a result the flow of vapor through discharge line I5 remains substantially constant and the pressure on the tank venting gradually declines. When a predetermined venting Aperiod has elapsed, valve 24 is closed and valve 2l opened to discharge the vented liquid. By this time .tank l is lled and ready to vent. Valve I6 is closed and valve -22 opened. Tank 2 is empty of vented liquid so valve 20 is closed and valve l1 opened to ll the tank with liquid to be vented. The venting period of course is normally the limiting factor, the lling and emptying steps taking the same time through design of the valves in the liquid lines.

The main purpose of the applicants process is to separate methane and any other undesirable gas from the absorption liquid. The absorption liquid, still rich in other dissolved vapors, goes from the applicants process to further processing such as stripping, either by fur-= ther pressure reduction or by distillation, or both. It is known that when rich absorption liquid under relatively high pressure is passed through a venting zone, at reduced pressure, the ratio of the heavy components evolved as vapor to light components evolved increases as the pressure is reduced. Thus, in the prior practice Where the absorption liquid was continuously passed through a venting zone at a pressure greatly below that of the absorption zone, a large amount of the heavy absorbed components in the absorption liquid were evolved together with the methane. In the applicants process, however, by subjecting an isolated body of the rich absorption liquid to a gradually decreasing pressure in the presence of the evolved components and 'proportional to the rate of evolution, the percentage of methane in the evolved vapors is considerably higher than in the above mentioned prior practice. There is thus a selective elimination of methane from the rich absorption liquid with advantages well known in the art. Since this method of venting requires that an isolated body of absorption liquid be treated, it follows that in order for the method to be practicable in present day practice, it must be made continuous. To this end the three tanks and the associated piping system developed by the applicant is used to present a continuous method.

It will be obvious from the above that the composition of the evolved mixture of vapors can be determined within limits by the time required to reduce the pressure of the absorption liquid to the desired point. This time period in turn is controlled by the rate at which the vapors are withdrawn or in other words the degree of throttling of valve 25.

In those cases where the liquid to be treated is not readily vaporized by reduction inpressure this invention contemplates the addition of heat with or without pressure control. For this purpose, heating elements of any desired type, steam coil 33 being shown, are used to raise the temI perature of the liquid. A steamrsupply line is shown at 34 having inlet branches to each steam coil, each branch having a valve 35 for isolating those coils in the tanks being iilled or emptied. A throttling control valve 36 is interposed in steam line 34 and is operated by-a motor 31 in response to the pressure diil'erential across orifice 21. With no pressure differential across orifice 21 valve 36 is in its most open position.

The tank containing the liquid to be vented, or more properly distilled, in this case is supsure to the steam coil, causing ebullition of the liquid and evolution of vapor. This vapor passing orice 21 by its quantity controls the amount of heat supplied to the liquid. Valves 2E and 32 can be disconnected or not depending on the conditions desired.

I claim: Y

l. A method of controlling the evolution of a dissolved gas from a liquid under pressure, the liquid containing other normally gaseous but less volatile components comprising directing a continuous stream of the liquid under pressure to one of a plurality of vessels, subsequently directing the stream to a second vessel and isolating the first vessel, gradually reducing the pres sure on the liquid in the rst vessel to a desired point by withdrawing evolved vapors at a sub stantially constant rate, subsequently directing the stream to a third vessel and Aisolating the second vessel, gradually reducing the pressure on the liquid ln the second vessel to the above point by withdrawing the evolved vapors at a substantially constant rate, while emptying the first vessel, and subsequently directing the stream to the first vessel and isolating the third vessel, gradually reducing the pressure on liquid in the third vessel to the above point while emptying the second vessel, the period of time required for reducing the pressure on each vessel controlling the period of time taken for filling and emptying the other two vessels.

2. A system for controlling the evolution of volatile components fromA an ebullient liquid coinprising three vessels, a liquid feeder pipe, a liquid inlet pipe for each vessel connected to the liquid feeder pipe, a liquid discharge pipe, liquid withdrawal pipes for each vessel connected to the liquid discharge pipe, valves in each of the liquid inlet and liquid withdrawal pipes for controlling the same, a discharge conduit for evolved components associated with each vessel, a discharge line connected with the discharge conduits, a valve n each discharge conduit forcontrolling the same, valve means for'controlling the flow of evolved components through the discharge line, and fluid flow response means associated with the discharge line for controlling said valve means in accordance with the quantityof evolved components flowing in the discharge line to maintain the flow ofvapors substantially constant.

3. A method of controlling the evolution of dissolved gases from a continuous stream ofhydrocarbon liquid under high pressure, the liquid containing other normally gaseous but less volatile components which it is desired to retain in solution, comprising directing the stream consecutively to a plurality of vessels, reducing the pressure on each vessel after the stream of liquid is. directed to the next vessel, the reduction in pressure being continuous over a period of time sufficient to obtain maximum evolution of the dissolved gas with minimum evolution of the less volatile components, the rate of pressure reductionbeing controlled by the amount of vapor evolved, discharging the liquid from each vessel before the pressure therein has reached a point at which less volatile components are evolved in appreciable quantity, and again directing the stream of liquid to the empty vessel.

SAMUEL C. CARNEY. 

